Run Swiftly Toward the Silence

“Silence is golden” is an idiom we’ve all probably said or heard plenty in our lives. Maybe we rolled our eyes when our parents uttered that phrase as a kinder way to say, “Quiet down!” But when it comes to our leadership journeys, I’m here to tell you (not as a parent, but as an executive coach) that silence can most definitely be golden.

Let me explain.

In my new book, It’s On You, I write about how career aspirations often revolve around business results. We frequently envision desired results and proceed from there. “But fewer people will talk about the actions or behavior required to get the results they want, and fewer yet will talk about self-awareness, or what I call their State of Being, and what is required from within to elicit the behavior that will get the results.” That’s part of the message in the chapter of my book titled “Go Where the Silence Is.”

Silence can become one of your biggest allies, especially when you’re knee-deep in daily challenges, the constant hustle of business, and unforeseen circumstances that require your immediate attention.

When you go within yourself – into the silence – you fully expand your growth and define the direction of your success. It’s there that you realize your leadership potential, find the words not yet spoken, the questions waiting to be asked, and the puzzle pieces awaiting discovery.

Quick story about a leader who focused on self-awareness and changing his own “State of Being”…

Hubert Joly took over as CEO of Best Buy in 2012 – an outsider tasked with turning the company around amidst the threat of Amazon. He chose to become aware of his company, people, competition, and himself at the deepest levels. What he didn’t know, he learned; he put himself directly on the floor of Best Buy stores. To stay afloat, the team, including Joly, needed to realize the real needs of its customers, and deliver. Within four years, a turnaround was complete. It’s because he changed the ”State of Being” for himself first, then for the company.

Joly quickly became one of my personal heroes.

Run swiftly toward the silence, my friends! Embrace it, be introspective, and think about leadership through the lens of who you want to be, not what you want to do or have. You’ll find all the elements that will allow you to execute at the highest level with the teams you lead. From there, the desired results will come.

And I’m here to help for those that want guidance to put this into action.